Andy, Allbert and Sheldon short stories
by lolzwaitwhat
Summary: (Based off of my An, Ann n Anny storyline) Short stories about Andy, Allbert and Sheldon's generation, set before high school.
1. Secrets (Sheldon)

Six year old Sheldon Kanker sat on top of a hill and looked down upon a field of flowers, smiling down at them as butterflies and bees fluttered from flower to flower, gathering as much nectar and pollen as they could.

He loved it here.

It was a special place for him and his family, his dad had found this place as a child and made it his special place, carving a J+A in the tree that Sheldon was leaning against. His dad shared this place with his mom on their first date, making it their 'secret place' where they would go when it was warm and talk or read comics or play handheld videogames and pretty much anything they wanted to do. When April was born, they took her home, then took her here, where she laughed for the first time when a butterfly landed on the tip of her nose. Sheldon was brought her too, only it was pretty cold when he was born, so he and April were bundled together in a nice, warm blanket and brought here. Sheldon had been crying, he didn't like the cold, but as soon as they arrived here, they saw a doe and a baby deer snuggled together in the middle of the field and Sheldon stopped crying to watch them.

Later on, once they could both walk, they would dash through the flowers, laughing as their parents would scoop them up, cover them in kisses then put them back down to start all over again.

Sheldon was rarely ever here alone, normally he came here with his family, but today, he had decided to enjoy the solace of a late summer afternoon alone.

Soon he would go to school, not kindergarten, but _grade_ school.

There would be _no_ more naps. _No _more snack time (but he still had lunch time, thank goodness). _No_ more free play (it would now be limited to a small period of time after lunch called 'recess').

He'd have homework. (Yuck.) He'd have required reading. (Boring) And there was the ever-present threat that Andy and Allbert would _not_ be in the same class as him.

And he wasn't sure he could handle that.

He had always had his sister and his cousins with him in daycare back at Miss Rachel's farm, then when his sister left for kindergarten, he only had Andy and Allbert until noon, then she would come back for after school daycare and lunch. When he finally got to school (kindergarten) he would see April in the car, then they'd have to go to different parts of the school and he'd only have Andy and Allbert until he got home at three and would wait for April at the bus stop.

He wasn't sure if he would be able to hold himself together if he didn't have those two with him in the same class. Heavens knows if he'd even survive the first day of first grade without them.

He sat in his spot, pondering what he would do if, Heaven forbid, he had to be separated from them, when he heard something…

It sounded like…

Was someone crying?

He hopped to his feet and turned his back to the field of flora below, trying to find the source of the crying…

Until he found it.

There was a little girl with curly black hair, who wore a gray oversize sweater with sleeves that extended past her fingertips and down to her knees and jean shorts. She was sobbing into her excess sleeves and curled up in a ball on the ground.

Now, Sheldon did _not_ know this girl, he'd never so much as _seen_ her before, but he saw that she was sad and alone and that she needed help, so he raced down the hill and quickly managed to locate her.

He stopped roughly three feet away from her and got a better look at her.

She was _tiny_ compared to him, her clothes and her pose made her just seem smaller.

Her knees were scuffed and bleeding a bit, her sweater was torn where her palms probably were. There were twigs stuck in her hair and dirt and grass stains on her clothes.

"Are you okay? Do you need a band-aid?" he asked, concerned. She jumped at the sound of his voice and looked up at him, fear bright in her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. She began to tremble and moved to crawl backwards, only for Sheldon to hold his hands up, as if showing he was unarmed. "It's okay! I'm not gonna hurt you." He promised.

She heard the sincerity in his voice and looked up at him, still crying. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the band-aids Allbert had given him. "Want me to put these on your owies?" he asked her. Her lip quivered as she nodded and Sheldon quickly closed the distance between them, knelt down beside her and gently placed the band-aids on her knees, then to her surprise, he gave each of them a kiss.

"My Mommy says that if you kiss owies, they stop hurting and get better faster." He explained as he gently took her hands and placed band-aids on a few bleeding scratches and kissed her palms, making her face turn bright pink.

"All better!" he announced, then gave her a big smile.

"t-t-t-thank you…" she said softly. His smile grew bigger, "You're welcome!" he said, then he asked, "What's your name?"

"M-Maggie."

He brightened, "Hi Maggie! I'm Sheldon!" he then waited a moment before asking, "Maggie, are you lost?"

She nodded as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, only to wince when she realized that it was wet and cold, Sheldon slipped his hand into his jacket sleeve and offered it to her. She hesitated, then took it with a thankful nod and wiped her face.

"I-I-I just moved here…" she sniffled, "My Mommy and Daddy…were helping the men…move our things into the house… I was… playing hide and seek with… my brothers… I-I tried hiding behind a bush and… fell… and…" her eyes began to water again, "I don't know how to get back home!" She cried as tears poured down her face, "I'm scared!" she then pulled Sheldon into a hug and bailed into his shirt.

Sheldon looked down at the crying girl clinging to his chest. He had _no __**idea**_ what to do here, but he knew to help her get back home, she'd need to be calm and tell him where she lived.

Something to calm her down…

Then he spotted a deer passing in the distance.

He smiled and gently pulled her off of him, "If I show you something pretty, will you stop crying?" She looked up at him, unsure of what to really say to that.

Sheldon took her silence as a 'yes' and pulled her up onto his back and gave her a piggy back ride all the way up the hill.

When she saw the field, her eyes widened and an amazed gasp slipped from her lips.

Sheldon gently put her down on the ground so she would be sitting against the tree and sat down next to her, "I know!" he said cheerfully… then he remembered that this place was _supposed_ to be his family's secret place.

He was in so much trouble!

… Unless she could keep this place a secret too.

He quickly looked at her, trying to play it cool so he wouldn't launch her right back into a fit of crying, "This is just between us, okay?" he said, putting a finger against his buck teeth. She quickly nodded and covered her mouth with her hands, sending her sweater sleeves slapping against her cheeks.

Sheldon relaxed and smiled at her, making her cheeks turn red, "Good!" he said, "I live near here and my Mommy and big sister are home, if you want, I can take you there and we can have them help us get you home!" Maggie smiled, grateful, "Thank you, Sheldon." She said warmly.

.

.

.

Later that day, Sheldon, along with his mom and sister, were able to find Maggie's new house and reunite her with her family, who were relieved that she was fine.

Maggie sat in her new bedroom, sitting at a small play table by the window, crayons spewed all over the table top and fresh drawings of flowers, butterflies and bees were stacked beside her.

"Maggie?" her mom called in as she opened the door, "It's time for bed, Sweetheart."

"Okay, Mommy." She said as she put her crayons back into their box and hopped into bed. Her mom walked over to her bed to tuck her in, when the drawing Maggie had been working on caught her eye, she picked it up and held it up to her.

It had her and Sheldon sitting on the hill with the sea of flowers below.

"What's this drawing about, Maggie?"

Maggie looked at her mom and, with a twinkle in her eye, said, "It's a secret, Mommy."


	2. Worth the Wait (AllbertLarry & Terry)

Allbert tossed and turned in his mother's old bed at his grandparent's house, frowning. Flashes of the day making him wince as he tried to reposition himself into a more comfortable position on the bed, where his mother's scent managed to waft into his nostrils despite the years she had been absent from the bed.

His poor mother.

Tears burned in his eyes as he shut them harder, trying to shut the image of his mom panting with her hand on her belly, her expression pained and her voice higher then usual, clear fluid all over the kitchen floor, the cookies they had made still cooling on the kitchen counter, crying out his father's name. The panicked expression on his father's face when he saw Allbert standing on his tip toes on the stool he had been standing on while helping his mother bake, trying to reach a roll of paper towels to help clean up the mess on the floor and his mom clutching the edge of the counter with one hand and her pregnant belly with the other, taking deep breaths.

His dad had swooped them up, only for his mom to tell him that they had time, that they should clean the mess up first and call her parents to make sure they had her old room set up for Allbert tonight, as well as to wrap up the cookies they had made so Allbert could take them to his Aunt Anny and Uncle Tee's house for he and his cousins to enjoy while they played.

Allbert didn't know what to do except gather more paper towels and cleaning solution so his father could clean up… _whatever _came out of his mom and grabbing a paper plate and a roll of tin foil that his mom used to contain the cookies they had made, making strange noises as she took large breaths in and out, while his father rushed upstairs to get 'the bags'. They then made some calls while gathering toys and things for Allbert's playdate next door and told him that his grandparents would be picking him up and that he would be staying with them over night.

"So are the babies coming tonight?" Allbert asked his parents, confused, as his mother got off the phone with her parents and his father returned to toss another bag into the back of the van. His new younger brothers weren't supposed to come until next week, they were here early.

His mother winced as she knelt down to his eyelevel, then gently placed her hands on the sides of his face, her breath labored, as if she was strained from large amounts of physical labor, "We (he) believe so (who) Allbert." She managed, "(He) We (who) will be (he) at the (who) doctor's (he) will you (who) be good (he) while (who) we're (he) gone? (who)"

Allbert nodded, although he wished he could help his mother in some way.

After all, she wouldn't be like this if it hadn't been for him.

It had started roughly nine months ago, in December, it was getting close to Christmas and Allbert had been feeling a little less spirited then he normally was around this time of year.

He had been the only one without a brother or sister out of all his cousins, but it hadn't really bothered him until he started noticing that everyone around him had a sibling to enjoy the upcoming holidays with, except him. April and Sheldon had always been together, but Andy's sudden desire to share everything he knew about Christmas with his younger sisters left him feeling left out. His parents were often out, shopping and working and, even though they did their best to spend as much time as they could with him, Allbert sometimes had to go to his grandparent's house while waiting for his parents to return home.

And while normally he had his mother's cousin, Luca, to play with whenever his cousins and parents were busy, but, unfortunately, he had started spending more time with a girl he liked then with Allbert. Leaving him to suddenly feel excluded.

He felt… lonely.

So lonely that he couldn't sleep that night, finally, after thinking about it for a while, he had found a solution to his problem, but he _had_ to be sure. He got up and walked to his parents' room and patted his father's hand. He woke with a start and startled his mother and Allbert as well.

"Allbert?" his father had groaned, realizing the one who had woken him up was his own son, he then apologized to him and his mother for scaring them, before rubbing his eyes, "What's up, buddy?" he asked groggily.

"Did you have a nightmare?" his mother asked, her voice tired, but worried.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry for waking you both, but I've been up all night trying to figure something out, I think I have the answer but I need to be sure…" He looked up to his parents, they were still lying on the bed, his mother's head on his father's shoulder as they both looked at him, they nodded, half-wake, ready to hear his question. "Mother, Father, do you think I could ask Santa for a sibling?" he asked.

"What?" they cried in unison, both of his parents had jolted up into sitting positions, now fully awake, his mother turned on the light, making them all wince from the sudden change in light. After they had all adjusted, Allbert went on to explain his wish to his parents.

"I know it's a big wish, but I've been very good this year and…" he looked down at the feet of his footie pajamas bashfully, "I would like to have someone to play with when Andy and Sheldon are busy with their families, Luca's busy with his crush and when you two are busy with work." He said softly. His father lifted him up onto the bed with them, setting him between them as his mother informed him that "I'm very sorry, Allbert, but I'm afraid that Santa doesn't give children siblings for Christmas." Allbert pouted and his hung his head, his bottom lip began to quiver and his eyes began to sting as they filled with tears.

"But…" his father said with a warm smile as he gently put his finger under his son's chin and lifted it up so the two were looking each other in the eyes (or eye in Larie's case), "Your mother and I _can_ manage to get you a little brother or sisterall by ourselves." Allbert perked up, joy radiating off his face as he wiped his eyes, "Really?" His father nodded, "Really. But it'll take a while." Allbert looked at him, confused, "How long?"

"About nine months." He said, "Would you be willing to wait that long?" he asked. Allbert nodded eagerly, "Yes! I can wait!" he said squirming with glee, he was going to get a little brother or sister to play with and build things with and teach things too, he was so excited! His father looked at his mother, his smile so big that it curled up his cheeks, she looked between her grinning husband and her ecstatic son, who started bouncing up and down on the bed on his bum, then sighed, "Your father and I will start tomorrow." She said tiredly, a small smile on her face as she kissed them both on the cheek, his father flushed and licked his lips eagerly.

"Can I be of assistance?" Allbert asked, hoping that with his help, the baby could come quicker. His parents' eyes widened, "No!" they cried in unison, making his lower lip quiver again. His father then added, "We have to talk to the stork, he gets very flustered around kids, so we'll need to speak with him alone."

Allbert looked up at his father, confused, "But if the stork delivers babies, then…"

"He gets very emotional when he sees the babies he helped bring to their parents again." His mother said softly, gently combing his hair off his face with her fingers and wiping away a few stray tears, "it's hard to talk to him when he's crying about how big you've gotten." She replied with a warm smile. Allbert thought about it for a second then nodded in understanding, it made sense, his grandmother (Ann's Mom) did the same thing every time she saw him. Always hugging him tightly and covering him with kisses, crying with a proud smile on her face at how much he had grown since the last time she had seen him.

He saw his grandmother once a week.

"It'll be fine, and this way you can still play with your cousins at Aunt An and Uncle Jay's house tomorrow." His mother continued. He nodded eagerly then suddenly felt tired, he yawned and rubbed his eyes. "In the meantime, you should get some sleep, Buddy." His father said, kissing him on the head, Allbert looked up at his parents, "May I sleep with you two tonight?" he asked. His parents smiled, his mother pulled him into her arms, then his father wrapped his arms around them both and turned out the light before the three of them carefully leaned back until their heads gently leaned back into the pillows, Allbert fell asleep with a large smile on his face, his father did too, but before he fell asleep, he listened as his parents talked, feigning sleep before it truly overcame him.

"I'm surprised you agreed so quickly." His father said to his mother, a little teasing in his voice.

His mother was quiet for a minute before she said, "W-well, we did say we'd have another child once we had some money saved up and honestly I was going to talk to you about it eventually…" Allbert felt his father pull him and his mother closer and heard him kiss his mother. Then there was a moment of silence before he heard his mother's voice again.

"Larie… you didn't put him up to this, did you?" His mother asked anxiously.

"Ann, if I knew him just _asking_ us for a sibling would get us another child, I would have been trying to get him to say that as his first words." His father joked.

"You're ridiculous." His mother groaned, kissing his father.

"And you're lucky our son is right here or I'd start making his new brother or sister _right now_." He replied, pulling them even closer to him.

A few weeks later, his mother had gotten something called a 'pregnancy test', his mother was one of the smartest people he knew (Author: up there with her is his father, his grandparents and his great grandmother, who, much like his grandmother, would _also _cry as she admired how big he had gotten, only he saw her every _two_ weeks), so he was _sure_ she'd pass, when he told her that, she blushed and kissed him all over then tickled him until he was laughing so hard that tears trickled down his cheeks. After a little while, his father looked at something that resembled a thermometer, his arm around his mother's waist, looking proudly the thing in his hand, "Good news, buddy," his father said, showing him the thermometer, where there was a pink plus sign in a little screen, "Your new brother or sister is on the way." He said, a little pride in his voice.

A few months later they had gone to the doctor's and learned that it wasn't just _one_ new brother or sister Allbert could look forward to having, but _two._

Allbert opened his eyes, unwilling to watch any more flashes of the past, his back flat on the mattress.

He wondered how his parents and the babies were doing.

After getting dropped off at Andy's house with an overnight bag and his parents briefly explaining that his grandparents would pick him up after work today and thanked them for having him, he hadn't heard or seen them since. His grandparents picked him up at about six in the afternoon and then they went out to dinner with his great-aunts and Luca, who briefly mentioned visiting his mother and father at the doctor's, but gave nothing in regards to how they were or about his new siblings.

Afterwards, he was brought to his grandparent's house and, after his grandmother told him a few stories about his mother when she was young, his grandparents helped him get ready for bed, gave him a kiss and tucked him into bed, leaving him to wallow in his worries over how his parents and new siblings were alone in the darkness of his mother's old bedroom.

He was so tired… but his mind wouldn't stop concocting new concerns for him to fret over.

Finally, he felt his mind drift off and fell asleep.

"Allbert." His grandmother called softly, "Are you awake?"

The six year old pushed himself up into a sitting position and replied, in a tired voice, "Yes, Grandma, I'm awake."

His Grandmother peaked into the room to confirm his claim, then opened it fully once she saw that he was sitting up.

"Your father called and said that your new little brothers are ready to meet you whenever you're ready..." Allbert jumped out of bed and began unbuttoning his pajamas and grabbing the clothes his parent had packed for him to wear and threw them on, then ran past his grandma with an 'excuse me' and dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair, wash his face and go to the bathroom before running back into the bedroom, his hands still dripping wet from washing them, quickly and neatly packing the overnight bag before struggling to heave it over his shoulder and say, "I'm ready."

His grandpa walked into the room and saw his grandson up, dressed and his belongings packed up, and said, "I guess you'd prefer having breakfast on the ride over to the doctor's?"

.

Allbert raced down the halls, stopping when he reached intersections or corners and jogged in place as he waited for his elderly grandparents to catch up to him before running ahead again, repeating the room number that his mother and new brothers were in as he did.

He was skidding to a stop by another corner when, to his surprise and his grandparent's amusement, his father scooped him up before he skidded to a stop and lifted him up to his eye level, wearing the same clothes he had worn when he left Allbert at his aunt and uncle's house yesterday.

"Whoa, easy, Buddy." He said softly, "You'll crash into somebody."

"Daddy!" Allbert cried, hugging his exhausted father. His dad smiled warmly and bounced him in his arms a moment before whispering, "You ready to meet your new little brothers?" Allbert's eyes watered as he nodded, "Yes, Daddy."

His dad opened the door, revealing a white room where his mother sat on a bed in the middle, wearing pink scrubs and smiling while holding two light blue bundles and looking at them lovingly.

"Hey Muffin," his dad called, holding Allbert up a little higher, "Got another one for ya." His mother looked over at them and her smile grew larger at the sight of them, she moved over a bit in the bed for her husband and eldest son to sit down beside her. His father then placed Allbert in between his parents while his mother carefully placed a bundle in each of his trembling arms, "Allbert, meet Lawrence Gerald Kanker and Terrance Harold Kanker, your new little brothers." She said in a gentle tone.

Allbert admired the tiny creatures that snoozed in his arms as his parents each wrapped an arm around him and the other arm around the sleeping babes, helping him hold them up.

"Even though it will be a while before we can play together, this was definitely worth the wait." Allbert said to his parents, who chuckled and kissed the top of his head.

"Got that right, Buddy." His father agreed.

"I couldn't agree more." His mother replied.


End file.
